Mozambique - Ambassador La Lime's Farewell Call on

UNCLAS MAPUTO 000728 SIPDIS SIPDIS AF/S FOR HTREGER MCC FOR SGAULL AND MHARRINGTON USAID FOR AA/AFR AND AFR/SA USDOC FOR RTELCHIN E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAID EINV ETRD PREL MZ SUBJECT: Mozambique - Ambassador La Lime's Farewell Call on President Guebuza ¶1. (U) On June 15 Ambassador La Lime paid a farewell call on President Guebuza. Guebuza complimented the Ambassador for being instrumental in furthering good relations between the Mozambique and the United States, emphasizing that he "greatly appreciated" her helpful role. He said he was pleased with progress toward a Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) compact, and understood fully that preparing for an MCC compact required thorough preparations that would take time. He added that his June 1 meeting in Cape Town with MCC CEO John Danilovich had been very positive. Guebuza observed that MCC would make a big difference in his country's development, with its focus on performance indicators - particularly in the area of promoting business development. ¶2. (U) Guebuza told the Ambassador that he had traveled four times to the United States in 2005. He said he was especially grateful to have had the opportunity to talk up Mozambique in his address to the Corporate Council on Africa's bi-annual business summit in Baltimore last June and to meet with business representatives while there. ¶3. (U) Somewhat as an aside, Guebuza informed her that he was eager to improve Mozambique's civil service, making it more efficient and staffing it with competent, committed officials. He said that as a poor country his government could not afford to pay high salaries, but that perhaps other benefits could be employed as incentives. He had formed a working group on the subject, he said, to look at successes and failures in the region, and he believed Mozambique had much to learn from Botswana's civil service. ¶4. (U) The Ambassador thanked the President, agreeing with him that relations had deepened greatly during her tenure. She pointed out that she had highlighted President Guebuza's strong public leadership in the fight against HIV/AIDS at the PEPFAR annual meeting in Durban earlier that week. It was plain to all at the conference, she emphasized, that President Guebuza stood out among other African heads of state for his responsible leadership towards his people in fighting HIV/AIDS. She told him that Washington was pleased with Mozambique's efforts, and that she looked forward to the USG continuing its strong support to Mozambique. La Lime